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Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 190

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

gateway to a great getaway!

Back in the mid-'90s, the city of Wilmington, Delaware, used this laughable tag line in an ad campaign to bolster its tourist trade. I remember seeing it plastering the walls of the city's Amtrak station back then. The best thing we have to offer, city officials seemed to be saying, is an easy rail connection out of town. Not the brightest way to get the odd visitor to stay and spend a few bucks.

Though it still makes me smirk two decades later, maybe I should adopt Gateway to a Great Getaway as a slogan for Mining the Audio Motherlode. What a better way to describe the worldly adventures teed up for you here on a weekly basis. Just peep the current quintet of far-flung and far-out sonic delights and you'll get the drift. And the best thing is you don't have to spend a thing.

    
Elias Diá Kimuezo  ~  Elias
(Blog: AfroCubanLatinJazz)

"Rei Da Música Angolana"
"Elias Day Kimuezu for his musical profile is considered the king of Angolan music. This musician, steadily and by your courage, because it is not easy being a musician in Angola, for the younger, less is for a man his age, as he said, there are few people who bet on your work and talent."  (Google Translated from a description by Amélia Mendes)

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 189

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

One of the great bloggers is calling it quits. Five years into a dazzling run of thoughtful earfuls, the chap behind Continuo's Weblog, the music-sharing site that originally described itself as "Reassessed aural delicacies," has decided to focus on other projects.

Some blogs were more prolific. Others dropped rarer records, but no other site I've come across traveled as adventurous a path through the wonder of sound. Do yourself a favor and visit the site before the links go belly-up. (A good place to start is this page where Continuo generously re-upped a ton of past posts.) Whether it's field recordings you crave, or maybe mechanical music, Cuban avantgarde, sound sculpture or théatre sonore—some of the many categories to be ravenously picked clean—you are likely to encounter sonic thrills you may never otherwise have had the good fortune to know. It has been great fortune knowing Continuo's Weblog.

    
Marran Gosov  ~  Baby Mann
(Blog: Continuo's Weblog)

For the Love of Mother
"Self-published in 1977, the Baby Mann LP was the debut release of actor and film maker Marran Gosov (born 1933) and part of his “Dilettantische Lieder” project which included song cycles and home-made short films of selected songs (see previous post). An intensely nostalgic disc, Baby Mann was composed in memory of his mother and refers to the period when Gosov left Bulgaria to emigrate to West Germany in 1960, leaving behind his younger brother Sehn, whom he met again for the first time in Munich in 1973. In Baby Mann, no mention is made of Marran’s father, for whatever reason."  (Description by Continuo)

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 188

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Free ride. Free love. Free Bird. Free Mumia! Free to be you and me. Radio Free Europe. Freestyle. Free Soil Party. Free speech. Free your mind and your ass will follow. The Free Design. Free jazz. Free credit report. The truth shall set you free. Free love. Free range chicken. Free verse. Free radicals. Free trade agreement. Free throw. Free association. Free spirit. Born Free. World B. Free. Butterflies Are Free. Duty Free. Scott free. Freddie the Freeloader. Detroit Free Press. Footloose and fancy free. The best things in life are free. Drug free school zone. Free Willy. Keep on rockin' in the free world.

There's a world of great free stuff out there if you know where to look. For great free music, just keep visiting Mining the Audio Motherlode every Wednesday and see what I've dug up. If you appreciate my efforts on your behalf, take a moment and make a small contribution to freeform radio WFMU which makes this all possible. Thank you.

    
David S. Ware  ~  From Silence to Music
(Blog: Inconstant Sol)

From Music to Silence
"So Ware leaves this earth a victor. In a world where conformity is prevalent and privilege from the beginning is usually what guarantees success, he managed to change the history of jazz through authenticity and substance."  (Closing paragraph of Matthew Shipp's elegy for David S. Ware)

 

 

Something Engaging & Trasformative: An Interview with Vicki Bennett

Vicki Bennett has been making audio and visual collage since 1991, when the internet was a fetus and you probably didn't own a computer. She creates her work with the nom de plume People Like Us. It's a moniker that speaks to the role of the collective and popular culture in her work, and a need to belong. Using collage as her medium, she creates audio recordings, films and radio shows that mix and manipulate original sources from both experimental and popular media. Her work has been shown at Tate Modern, The Barbican, Sydney Opera House, Pompidou Centre, Maxxi in Rome and Sonar, and she's hosted the WFMU radio program Do or DIY since 2003.

Plus, she's a judge for the Past Re-Imagined As the Future remix contest with the Free Music Archive. In this Q&A, Bennett shares that she's hoping to see works that are engaging and transformative. As you comb through the materials in the Prelinger Archives, she reminds us that these videos aren't just about the past, but also about the present, the future, and something timeless.

What first drew you to the practice of AV collage art?

That there is a huge palette to choose from which means you can get started right away. I've been making collages since I was about 16. I found that I like working with audio and imagery with previously existing conceptual/contextual associations, because it allows me to redirect the focus of these associations into new stories, like a conductor or director. It also appeals very strongly to my surreal, subversive sense of humour - being able to turn things upside down. Collage has a very long history and made huge statements, just by taking what already exists and representing it in a new or different way - it has frequently been political or politicized. Collage is not just about putting random images together, collage is about composition, editing, and language. It exists everywhere since all languages are a collage of content that already exists.

 

How has changing technology influenced your practice?

 

The coming of broadband, file sharing platforms, and the affordability of high speed computers and editing software around 2000 changed everything for me. No longer was I reliant upon finding things locally to work with or borrowing other people's dat machines or cassette four tracks - suddenly I could multitrack and edit in the way I always wanted to. I was waiting for 10 years to do things how I really imagined.

 

When did you first encounter the Prelinger Archives? How has it played a role in your work? 

 

As soon as I got broadband in 2000. This really changed not only the way I thought about making work but also opened my mind to just how much things were going to change now that people could share, exchange and converse. This was around this time that Brewster Kahle persuaded Rick Prelinger to share some footage online for free at archive.org. Before this I was really in a difficult position sourcing well transfered moving image - dependent on vhs rips from things from video and tv. The films Rick shares are beautiful quality with wonderful images, subjects and messages. I downloaded one film from archive.org and emailed Rick and thanked him. Then I sent him a big package of CDs and we started corresponding. We were in touch for years on a daily basis exchanging ideas and so on. I made many films and two live performances entirely from Rick's films.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 187

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Got Indonesian psych? Radical French balladry? Iconic 20th-century experimentalism? Free-jazz power trios? Aussie folk warbling? Well you've come to the right place. Mining the Audio Motherlode prowls the free-music blogosphere in order to share the mindblowingest sounds around. To enjoy the fruits of this labor, take a gander at the quintet of gems on display below.

Freeform radio station WFMU, which keeps the Sterno ablaze under this sonic buffet, is holding a fundraiser and needs your help. If you've enjoyed leaving the legwork to us in order to "discover" great free music, please consider making a small contribution to WFMU using this safe, secure pledge widget. Thank you!

    
Pattie Sisters with Enteng & His Comets
(Blog: Madrotter's Treasure Hunt)

Entengled
"Often touted as the first ever Indonesian psych album, Enteng's guitar playing is just phenomenal on this one"  (Description by Henk Madrotter)

 

 

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 186

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

It's a labor of love to spelunk the inky subterranean caverns of the Interwebs searching for the best free music, but your Miner does it with pleasure. The truth is, keeping all these amazing discoveries to himself would be a ton less fun. To provide this weekly survey he asks for nothing personal in return, just that you pony up from time to time a small token of appreciation to WFMU, which makes the  Motherlode possible.

Think for a moment of all the $$$ you've saved by accessing the free music highlighted here. Using the pledge box below, please make a small donation to WFMU. Consider giving the cost of just a single CD (remember those?). It would really help a lot. Thanks.

    
John Mehegan, Jonas Gwanga, Hugh Masekela, Kippie Moeketsi, etc.  ~  Jazz in Africa
(Blog: The Boogie Man Will Get Ya!)

Never Enough Kippie
"Jazz in Africa is basically similar to jazz in the rest of the world (same idioms, same devices, same repertoire). It just happens to be much better than jazz in the rest of the world, excepting America. The reasons for the superiority of African jazz lay in the presence of one mature giant, altoist Kippie Moeketsi, age 34, whom I would rate with Getz, Peterson...as concerns sheer melodic invention; two young disciples of Kippie's, trumpeter Hugh Masekela, age 22, and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa, age 23; and finally pianist Chris Joseph, age 21. Kippie, Hugh and Jonas are African and hail from Johannesburg; Chris is Indian and lives in Durban."  (From sleeve notes, reproduced at the essential South African music resource Flat International)

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 185

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

WFMU, the radio station that makes Mining the Audio Motherlode possible is holding a sorely needed month-long fund drive. Please consider making a small contribution to WFMU to keep the station on the air and Beware of the Blog continuing to pump out Motherlodes.

I've been scouring the blogs for nearly four years, searching for great free music to share in this weekly column. Take four minutes and drop a little something in the virtual tip jar, below, as a way of showing appreciation for this volunteer effort. Thank you.

 

    
Earl Freeman/Universal Jazz Symphonette  ~  Soundcraft 75: Fantasy for Orchestra
(Blog: 9 Grey Chairs)

Freeman Fantasy
"It's a large ensemble—nearly 30 players and is not a high fidelity recording by any stretch of the imagination. The church acoustics, the size of the ensemble, the collective free-form style of musical approach all combine to produce a sonic result that I can best describe in one word as—dense. Musically—on first blush, it's chaotic. If you've just spent a morning listening to and loving Alan Silva's Lunar Surface, followed by Dave Burrell's Echo—then this is record you might like to put on next. Only this one is not as well recorded as those 2. The keen ear, or subsequent listening, will reveal that it's not necessarily 40 minutes of mad chaos - that there is movement here, there are dynamics, there are some themes of sorts, and that there is solo playing (where audible) of a high caliber. Opening with a swirling trio of flutes and spare percussion, additional instruments are applied in successive layers like paint until the whole ensemble is all in - a vast melange of sound. Then after a hushed intermezzo at around the 5 minute mark, the music builds again and things begin in earnest.  The technique is repeated again, punctuating solos from trumpet, tenor saxophones and violin…."  (Description, from a typically generous and thoughtful post, by Serviceton)

The Past Re-Imagined as the Future: Remix Contest with Prelinger Archives

Showcase the creative possibilities of open digital archives!

WFMU and the Free Music Archive proudly introduces a video remix contest called "Sound for the Moving Image: The Past Re-imagined As The Future." The contest invites artists everywhere to mix video from the incredible Prelinger Archives Collection with audio from the Free Music Archive to create new masterpieces for the commons. The point of this contest is to showcase the creative possibilities of open digital archives like these.

VIDEO: HOW TO GET INVOLVED

BASIC GUIDELINES

1. At least 50% of video and audio materials in your entry must come from the Prelinger Archives and the Free Music Archive.
2. Use at least one video from the Prelinger Archives, and at least one track from the portion of Free Music Archive's library that can be used in videos (more info).
3. Time limit: 15 minutes max.
4. Upload to your hosting service of choice (i.e. Vimeo, Internet Archive) and then submit your video entry via the competition website form (here).
5. Proper Creative Commons licensing is required. Attribute yourself by name and indicate which Creative Commons license you have selected for your video. Your submission must also include licensing and attribution (with hyperlinks) for the material you have remixed. You should do this in the video description field at the site where your video is hosted. You can also do this within the credits of the video itself.
6. All material from outside the FMA / Prelinger must either be original, or used under a CC license, or used with signed permission

Please see our the Official Rules. And check out our FAQ.

TIMELINE

Sept 28: Contest Launch! Entries are now accepted here.
Nov 4: Submissions Deadline
Nov 5: Judging and Public Voting Begins
Nov 18: End of the Public Voting
Nov 29: Winners Announced online and in a public screening at NYC's Anthology Film Archives

PRIZES

The two winners will each be awarded an iPad (3rd Generation with Wi-Fi, 16GB), engraved with the contest name as a trophy, in recognition of their innovative remix. One winner will be selected by the judges'. And the other winner will be determined by public-vote. If the winner is the same for both categories, the runner up in the judge's vote will be given the prize for that category.

JUDGES

We have hand picked an incredible panel of judges including Vicki Bennett (Musician and Filmmaker, People Like Us), Kirby Ferguson (Everything is a Remix), Ken Freedman (WFMU Station Manager, Free Music Archive founder), Mark Hosler (Artist, Negativland), Paul D. Miller (Musician and Filmmaker, aka DJ Spooky), Nina Paley (Filmmaker, Sita Sings the Blues) and Rick Prelinger (Founder, Prelinger Archives).

WINNERS SCREENING AT THE ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

This presentation will explore centuries of culture to demonstrate how remixing -- creating music from samples of existing music -- is a good metaphor for all varieties of creativity. Ferguson will discuss some of the myths of creativity, present several popular examples of remix-like technique, and show how creativity -- like remixing -- is the result of three basic techniques: copying, transforming and combining.

This will be at the Anthology Film Archives (32 2nd Ave, New York, NY) on November 29th 8-10pm. You can reserve your free ticket here.

---

This contest is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 184

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Reports of the demise of the music-sharing blogosphere have been greatly exaggerated. To be sure, the abrupt disappearance of beloved sites is upsetting, but the reality is that far more blogs that reach the end of the line, do so voluntarily. And the good news, if the current climate is indicative of a trend, is that a number of excellent blogs in recent days have come back to life! Last week I mentioned the return of Aduna Blog. Now I'm cheered to see FM Shades back in business and even Voodoo Vault is making a comeback (though finding the "way in" the front door remains a puzzle). Even ProgNotFrog's terrific blog aggregation site is back. You can use it as a search engine, or just scroll through the recent posts from hundreds of blogs.

Welcome back!

 [Ed: Thanks to reader Hammer for reminding me about the return of Turkish Psychedelic Music! Please acknowledge your favorite reanimated blogs in the comments below.]

 

    
Barbara Mason  ~  Transition
(Blog: Porco's Hideaway)

Did Buddah Records Know They Spelled the Name Wrong?
"A quite dark collection of soul/funk tunes dealing with war, violence, religion, the 'popularity' of the devil and other problems of American society of the 1970s. Barbara Mason is best known for love songs like her first hit, 'Yes I'm Ready,' from the beginning of her career in 1964. For Transition she abandoned the matters of the heart and tackled social issues. She wrote all tunes here which suggest that this project was very close to her heart. But the album flopped, maybe because it missed a hit single, maybe because it missed the optimistic outlook offered by other soul artists that sang about social issues."  (Description by El Puerco Rojo)

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 183

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

This post is for those 47% of readers who are dependent on Mining the Audio Motherlode, who believe that they are victims, who believe Mining the Audio Motherlode has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to great free downloadable music. That that's an entitlement. And that Mining the Audio Motherlode should give it to them. And they will support the Miner no matter what and will never be convinced to take personal responsibilities for their lives.

My job is to worry about those people.

 

    
Emanuel Lasky  ~  Welfare Cheese
(Blog: The Singing Bones)

A Good Source of Protein
Here's a topically relevant groover for all you Freddie Freeloaders and Minnie Moochers just standing around waiting to be handed sonic thrills on a silver platter.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 182

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Who is Hervé Lemaire (LinkedIN / Wikipedia / Twitter) and why does he hate music? Though some Internet chatter speculates that there is no such person, someone with this name has been operating as an anti-piracy mercenary via LeakID, apparently since 2007.

During the past several weeks, numerous blogs across the Internet have had their accounts suspended at file storage site Mediafire due to a mass mailing of copyright complaints filed by Lemaire. Clearly something nefarious is afoot because many affected blogs have posted exclusively out-of-print recordings, and others had merely been sharing their own recordings. It's not clear yet if Lemaire has deployed some sort of automated DCMA-bot intent on maximzing blogosphere entropy, but his ability to wreak widespread havoc is clearly thanks to Mediafire, which is suspending accounts purely on the basis of unproven accusations of copyright infringement.

You can follow a running discussion about this ongoing controversy here in the comments to a post at the iamtheleastmachiavellian.

    
Orchestre du Bawobab ~ Visages du Senegaal
(Blog: Blue Beat in My Soul)

Specialist in All Styles
"Amongst certain circles of Afro-funk fans, 'Kelen Ati Len' is probably the best-known song by this Dakar band but this LP is hardly a one-tracker. No doubt, 'Kelen Ati Len' is killer with its crashing drums and angular guitar work. It’s like Bawobab/Baobab members had spent a few years jamming with the Kashmere Stage Band before returning to Senegal."  (Descriptions by O-Dub, at Soul-Sides)

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 181

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

Like buying a used record with a previous owner's name on it, sometimes MP3 files for an album appearing on one blog are traceable — through the unique set of pops and clicks heard on the original vinyl — to a posting of the same recording at another. This usurping of someone else's links (not to mention their efforts to rip the tracks and scan the cover art) is generally frowned upon in the blog world, but sometimes a new blogger will step in to resurrect access to a great old record whose original link is no longer working.

Occasionally, you can follow the MP3 files for the same slab of vinyl as it gets shared and re-shared at different blogs over time. Take for example the lead item in today's Motherlode. Originally posted in 2010 at  A Pyrex Scholar, it was almost immediately re-posted at another blog called Smokin' Drops (whose proprietor apologized for the breach of blog etiquette, then never posted another record!). At some point during the past two years, the original Pyrex link were removed, but Smokin' Drops' offering of the same files is still available. Now stepping into the fray is a new blog called An Ism to Horns and Beats, which has served up the very same record — and the same MP3 files — all over again. One imagines that someday soon, the Smokin' Drops link will die and the new blog will continue carrying the torch.

Whenever and from whomever you satisfy your music Jones online, just be sure to grab this gem before all links are gone for good.

Tommy McGee  ~  Positive-Negative
(Blog: An Ism to Horns and Beats)

Bi-Polar
"Basically it's stupid rare and your never gonna see let alone own a copy!  (Description by The Purist, at A Pyrex Scholar)

 

 

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 180

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

This past Monday I took part in a panel discussion as part of WFMU's series of Radio Free Culture broadcasts. Titled The Rise and Fall of MP3 Blogs, the confab posed the following question: "Has the music blogosphere's golden age already passed us by?"

My fellow panelists seemed for the most part ready to embrace the notion that our best days of free and unfettered music sharing are behind us. But from my perspective, there's just no time to mourn the loss of excellent blogs when there are so many more passionate and creative music obsessives clamoring online to share their record collections!

And while there is plenty to lament about the state of the blogging landscape, as long as great records keep getting posted, I'll keep bathing them in the warm glow of my miner's helmet.

 

Ruth Ben-Zvi  ~  Israeli Percussion
(Blog: Sun Ship)

The Chosen Drum
"Using her fingertips, open palms, elbows and clenched fists, Ruth creates a whole new world of music from a primitive drum whose sound is powerful yet delicate, caressing and wild, capable of imitating human speech when in the hands of a master player."  (From the liner notes)

[Some may find it noteworthy that Spike Lee's father, Bill, plays bass on this record.]

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 179

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

If you enjoy the survey of sounds covered in these weekly Motherlodes, you should check out Give the Drummer Radio, a 24-hour webstream I created for WFMU in the summer of 2010. Initially, the stream was intended as a platform for continuing to broadcast my radio show after a move to Pittsburgh mandated that it come off WFMU's main broadcast schedule. After establishing my show on the stream, it occurred to me that I could use the stream as a means for presenting other great radio shows as well, and now the thing serves up a half dozen additional genius music obsessives on a weekly basis.

In its default mode—listen anytime here or via mobile device (info here)—Give the Drummer Radio plays a continuous flow of adventurous, unusual and lovely sounds such as you find here in Mining the Audio Motherlode. The schedule for hosted programs on the stream is here. You can hear all of the shows live on the stream, or archived for listening when its convenient. For updates and alerts, follow the stream on Twitter, like it on Facebook or email (send a request here).

 

Nitin Mangesh  ~  Aafat
(Blog: Music from the Third Floor)

Phat
"...great title music; multi-faceted like a miniature suite and dramatic throughout, the action packed 'Koi Kahe Main Khanjar Hoon,' the funky, druggy and decidedly Burmanesque 'Yeh Nasha Jaan Meri Hai,' and finally the fabulous effect filled and fun sounding 'Rajni Hai Mera Naam.' I'm no expert on Bollywood movies, but I doubt there are that many song & dance numbers featuring disembodied singing heads. I approve."  (Description by PC, at Music from the Third Floor)

 

The Rise & Fall of MP3 Blogs — guest post by Casey Rae

The history of the MP3 is one of technological innovation, consumer demand and all-too-persistent litigation, often against those very consumers who embraced the format in the heady post-Napster days. The story of this resilient digital audio file has been recounted many times — from the recording industry’s early wars of attrition to the MP3s role in the filesharing explosion to the bloggers who help curate an oversaturated music marketplace.

What doesn’t garner as much discussion is how the MP3 format — celebrated, reviled or somewhere in-between — has come to define the digital music experience, both for millions of listeners, and for those who help drive discovery. At one point, not so long ago, music bloggers sat near the top of the curatorial heap, using MP3s to help create overnight stars out of teenage indie rockers. Others highlighted niche genres and aural nuggets from decades past.

At first, MP3 bloggers were seen by the industry as freeloading pariahs, but eventually even the major labels came to embrace this segment of the online music community. Seeking a promotional fast track, the PR flaks hit the blogosphere hard, cultivating relationships with known tastemakers. Eventually, the pursuit of musical passion became a business concern, or at worse, a hassle.

I was a full-time music writer back when CDs were the promotional norm. Over the course of time, the padded envelopes slowed to a trickle and my inbox was flooded with MP3s from labels and publicists. It was frankly hard to keep up. The annoyance factor eventually contributed to my decision to do something different with my life.

I know I’m not alone. Looking around these days, you could be forgiven for thinking the “music blogger bubble” has popped. There are likely several reasons beyond inbox fatigue. The rise of “social music” — where friend networks replace curation via instant “recommendations” on platforms like Facebook — surely has something to do with it. But listening habits are also changing. No longer is downloading necessarily the fastest and most convenient way to get your musical fix.

When thinking about the future for MP3 blogging, it’s instructive to consider how younger generations discover and access music. The listening behaviors of those under 20 can tell us a lot about how aspects of our networked world might evolve. A new Nielsen survey suggests that YouTube has overtaken radio and CDs as the primary way American teens listen to music. At 64 percent, YouTube listening is even ahead of iTunes, which comes in at just over 50 percent. YouTube, is of course, a “streaming” platform, which presents a potential challenge to downloading culture.

In other words, streaming access is rapidly becoming a norm. Recent reports show that Warner Music now counts streaming as 25 percent of its overall digital music revenue. This is certainly significant for a sector that has struggled for more than a decade with the implications of online music.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 178

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

If you're new to the Motherlode, let me take a moment out of my maniacal head-long search for great music to explain. For the past 25 years I've produced a radio show for WFMU. The station's format is nominally freeform, which essentially means there is no predetermined format. Each DJ on the air makes their own idiosyncratic choices of what to say and play, and for the duration of that show represents exactly what WFMU is. For me, WFMU represents the opportunity to share my own personal musical epiphanies in a communal setting.

In recent years, my search for sounds to share on the radio has led to the ever-widening online universe of music-sharing blogs. Mining the Audio Motherlode is weekly survey of my favorite such discoveries. Let me know what you think.

 

Getatchew Mèkurya  ~  ???
(Blog: Awesome Tapes from Africa)

Titanic Tenor
Listen for ten seconds to any solo by this titan of Ethiopian saxophone and his primary influence seems obvious: free-jazz apostle Albert Ayler. But Mèkurya, only a year older than Ayler, actually began playing professionally when his American counterpart—whom he has never heard—was still taking private lessons. Chronologies aside, the abundant points of comparison are separated-at-birth spooky. They both play with a strained, breathless attack; a chanted-not-sung delivery; a wildly oscillating vibrato; and a pacific lyricism thinly veiling a molten spirit.  (Description from my Favorites of '03 page)

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 177

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

In the realm of record collecting, valuing obscure for obscure's sake is pretty lame. If that impossibly rare disc you just liberated from a dusty dollar bin is impossible to listen to, what's the point? Nevertheless, there's an undeniable thrill that comes with unearthing some vinyl marvel that few before you have laid ears on. The quintet of offerings in today's Motherlode are all new to me, and judging by the dearth of information available online, they will be new to most readers, too.

Even my old standby of searching WFMU's mile-deep playlist database revealed next-to-nothing. Only one of the five LPs—the loopy, psycho-electronica from Emil Richards (see below)—made an appearance. So quick, drop these beauties into your MP3 player, then call up WFMU and stump your favorite DJ.

 

Bidon K  ~  Bidon K
(Blog: Boxes of Toys)

Speciak K
"A collective of three percussionists that play regular percussion in addition to modified/invented percussion instruments and electronics. Interesting stuff. Gets pretty out there on a few tracks with the electronics! Fans of Pierre Henry, Nurse with wound, Stockhausen, etc should take note."  (Description taken from promo copy for an old posting at Collectors Frenzy)

 

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 176

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere 

Today is the fifth anniversary of the passing of Dirk Gjaltema, a young Dutch music blogger whose irreverent appreciations in Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll (still kept online as a lasting memorial by his adoring family) was one of my first thrilling discoveries in blogland.

Take a moment to read my earlier post about Dirk.

Dirk's great gift was the generosity with which he transformed his own ecstatic love for music into a communal experience. The kindred spirit of that gift courses through my own music sharing endeavors, on the radio and here in this weekly column. Rest in noise, Dirk!

 

Maggie Nichols  & Peter Nu  ~  Don't Assume
(Blog: Continuo's Weblog)

Don't Stand Down Maggie
"On Don’t Assume, and particularly on the eponymous, side-long track #4, Maggie Nicols carefully avoids anything resembling jazz singing in favor of an intermediary state between spoken word, sound poetry, thinking out loud and sprechgesang. Similarly, the piano accompaniment, a delicate, needle-point construction of ephemeral chords and non-rhythmic structures, seems to be floating mid-air in an uncertain pitch like some of Olivier Messiaen’s piano music. This strange alchemy works wonders and inevitably takes the listener by surprise."  (Description by Continuo)

MP3 - A Crash Course, guest post by Jonathan Sterne

Today, there are more mp3s in circulation than all other recording formats combined. This alone would be cause to write a book about them, but I became fascinated with mp3s because of how they are made. An mp3 encoder uses a mathematical model of the gaps and absences in human hearing to remove some of the data in an audio file, in order to make it smaller. If the encoder “thinks” you won’t hear part of a sound recording, it yanks it out on the encoding end, so that the resulting mp3 file is smaller, and therefore easier to transmit over data lines or to stockpile on hard drives and flash memories.

I wanted to know where this model of human hearing came from and what it could tell us about our contemporary sonic culture. The result is my new book, MP3:The Meaning of a Format.

The technology behind the mp3 is called “perceptual coding,” and I quickly discovered it has deep connections to the development of hearing science and telecommunications over the last hundred years. Everything we think we know about hearing in the state of nature is a result of the interactions between ears and media in the 20th century.

MP3s also point to the importance of compression in the development of communication technologies. Each generation of new media is usually sold to consumers as being of higher definition and greater verisimilitude than its predecessor (think of how DVDs and Blu-Ray have been marketed, for instance). But developments in compression and lower-definition transmission are equally important for everything from telegraphs, to telephones, to color television, to satellite transmission to the internet. This other history is less apparent because it is manifest inside our hard drives, and inside the massive infrastructures that allow us to move data around. It is not as shiny or sexy as the latest consumer gadget, but it could well be more important for everything from aesthetics to policy.